Residency Application for Admission & Tuition

*Note: To ensure timely receipt of applications and documentation, please email to iowaresidency@iastate.edu  

General Information:

Students requesting to be classified as an Iowa resident for admission and tuition purposes must complete the residency application form after fulfilling the residency requirements. These guidelines are part of the Iowa Administrative Code, Section 681-1.4 (Chapter 1, pg. 4) and published in the Iowa State University Residency Classification for Admission and Tuition Purposes section of the course catalog.

You may contact residency classification with questions regarding residency:

                                          Iowa Residency Email                Katerina Bergmann                      Denise Timberland                 
                                                                                              515-294-5017                              515-294-0767
                                          iowaresidency@iastate.edu        bergmann@iastate.edu                dtimber@iastate.edu

For currently enrolled students, you may set up an appointment with a residency classification official through EAB within your AccessPlus account should you have any questions about the residency classification process.

Application Information:

Download the residency application form, which can be completed on your computer. Note that it requires your signature and date.

Students who meet the criteria outlined below for gaining Iowa residency must complete and submit the application and required documentation by the 15th day of classes of the term for which they are applying.

Submit residency applications along with documentation via email to iowaresidency@iastate.edu (preferred submission process).                                              *Redact any SSN information before emailing for security purposes.

Applications may also be submitted in person or via mail delivery:

Iowa State University
Office of the Registrar
010 Enrollment Services Center
2433 Union Drive
Ames, IA  50011-2011
FAX: 515-294-1088

Guidelines for Gaining Iowa Residency:

  • Live in Iowa 12 consecutive months, including a summer, and meet the following criteria during those 12 months:
    • If you are a student at any institution of higher education, you must be enrolled half-time or less;
      • For undergraduate students: Enrolled in 6 credits or less for fall term, 4 credits or less for winter session, 6 credits or less for spring term, and 4 credits or less for summer term.
      • For graduate students: Enrolled in 5 credits or less for fall term, 5 credits or less for spring term, and 4 credits or less for summer term.
      • Note: Students enrolled in course(s), internships, and/or who hold an assistantship that certifies them as full-time, regardless of the actual number of credits associated with the enrollment(s), will be considered to have enrolled full-time for the semester.
    • Employment in Iowa at least 30 hours per week (with State of Iowa taxes withheld from every paycheck);
    • Must file Iowa resident income taxes (Note. Even if only a partial year the first year, depending on when residency process began);
    • Must not be claimed anymore on anyone else’s taxes for year that residency process begins and every year thereafter;
    • Must get an Iowa driver's license;
    • Must register to vote in the State of Iowa; and
    • If you own a vehicle, it must be registered in the State of Iowa.

Required Documentation:

  • Lease or purchase agreement showing name and Iowa address;
  • Monthly pay stubs to verify 30 hours of employment per week;
  • Copy of the most recent Iowa resident income tax return; and
  • Copy of the Iowa driver's license.

For Residency Classification Due to a Parent Moving to the State of Iowa:

Students who are requesting Iowa residency due to a parent having moved to Iowa must complete and submit the application and required documentation by the 15th day of classes of the term for which they are applying.

Required Documentation from Parent(s):

  • Lease or purchase agreement showing parent name and Iowa address;
  • Letter of employment verifying offer of employment or dates of employment;
  • Copy of parent’s most recent federal income tax return showing student as dependent;
  • Copy of parent’s most recent Iowa resident income tax return –OR-
  • Notarized statement verifying that the move to Iowa is full-time/permanent and intent to file Iowa resident income taxes; and
  • Statement of what steps have been taken to cut ties with previous state (e.g., entire household moving from previous state, sale of home in other state, end of employment in other state, etc.).

Graduate Assistants:

  • Graduate students appointed to a graduate assistantship appointment of 1/4-time or more for at least 3 months in fall and spring terms and for 4 weeks in summer term, are assessed tuition at the full-time resident (in-state) rate for the fall and spring term.
  • Nonresident students with graduate assistantships of 1/4-time or more retain their nonresidency classification, but are assessed resident tuition and fees as long as the graduate assistantship is continued.
  • The spouse of a 1/4-time or more graduate assistant who is a nonresident is eligible for resident tuition and fees during the period of the assistantship appointment. Iowa residency is not granted, but a waiver of nonresident tuition and fees is in effect. When the graduate assistantship ends, the tuition and fee waiver for the spouse is terminated. (Board of Regents, State of Iowa, Minutes March 15, 1995, p. 801).
  • The graduate student must request the resident tuition assessment by midterm of the term in question. The benefit will not be granted retroactively.